Back To School

It's the most wonderful time of the year...the kids headed back to school this week and I am one happy mom! Don't get me wrong, I love being with the monkeys. We traveled a lot this summer, which was fun. We also had a lot of difficult things come up that we had to deal with as a family and/or a couple. Plus, the kids fought more than usual and that drives me NUTS!

Time can not be stopped. Annie is an 8th grader, Belle is in 4th, and Charlie is in 2nd. It was just yesterday I was dropping Annie off for her first day of kindergarten and I cried all the way home. Everyone had a great first day and didn't complain when I woke them up this morning. Not being the new kids this year helped so much with first day jitters (there were hardly any) and everyone left the house with smiles on their faces. Cam was home for the first time ever on the morning of the first day, which the kids appreciated immensely.

I'm wishing everyone a happy, safe, fun-filled school year. And in a couple of months will be saying "I can't wait for summer to get here, so we can relax". It's like child birth: you forget the pain, so you can do it again!

Hubby's Birthday Letter

Dear Cam,
What an incredible year! July 17th is one of my favorite days of the year because we celebrate the birth of an amazing man. Yes, you! I am so proud of the husband, father, son, brother, uncle, friend, and doctor you have become. Taking cupcakes to work last week was so much fun for the kids and I because we got to see you in your element and everyone loves you SO much at the office. As I drove away I just swelled with pride. What you do and the things you have accomplished are immensely important.

I have loved you for so long that I can't remember a time when I didn't love you. It seems so natural to love you like waking up in the morning is natural. It hasn't always been easy and we have definitely had our struggles, but we fought to hang on during the tough times and look at us now. A happy family (most of the time).

One of my favorite things about you is your ability to forgive and I have certainly needed that in our 17 years of being together. Your patience and understanding have made me and everyone around you better people. I also love how easy it is to laugh with you. You've always brought a smile to my face. Of course, you also have an inane ability to drive me insane with your lack of time management, but who can be perfect?

I remember the first time I saw you in Coach Karnowski's preface B class our freshmen year in high school. Instant crush! I still get butterflies when you come in from work or you're meeting me somewhere and I look up and there you are with your beautiful smile. Thank you for being the love of my life!

I am grateful that you are my husband even when you are driving me insane. I love you, Cam Pico. You lead this family the way God calls you to lead and that is a true blessing. You are one of the most involved fathers I know (it hasn't always been that way due to training, but you certainly are making up for lost time). What lucky kids to have a dad like you. You are an amazing husband that would rather stay in and watch a movie than go out with the "boys". You have no idea how much that means to me. You take care of me when I have my headaches (which is a lot lately). You let me vent when I need to and reign me in when needed (I hate it when you do that, but later I'm always appreciative).

Your birthday has passed, but I still wanted to write a birthday letter since everyone is getting one this year. I hope you enjoyed your special day. I appreciate you and all you do for this family. Thank you!

Just put "Pooter" on a Plane

My baby is gone. I watched her get on a plane this morning and take off in a big, clear, blue sky headed "home". Annie is spending the next 7 days in Birmingham, AL with family and friends. I say she is headed home because her heart will always be in AL where she started school, made her first best friends, and started a very special, successful life.

Who would have thought 13 years ago that the tiny little, bawling baby would have grown into one of the most interesting, intelligent, beautiful young women I have ever met?

And now she is on her "own" for the next week. I can only imagine she enjoyed her alone time on the plane reading and listening to her music. She was loaded up with gum, candy, and her fav bque chips! I teared up in the airport as she was waiting to board and she looked over at me and smiled her most genuine smile saying "I'll be fine, Mom. I'm excited!". It's not her I was worried about. I quickly wiped my tears and gave her a hug that lasted a minute too long for her. She slept in our room on the floor the night she left, starting out in our bed. The 3 of us laid in bed talking about all the fun she would have and all our memories of the friends she would be seeing. I wish I was going with her!

For the next 7 days, "Pooter" will stay up as late as she wants, meet with "old" friends, giggle, swim, probably talk about boys, hopefully not giving me a second thought. I know Cam asked her to keep her cell with her and call us every night. He did that for my sake! This growing up thing is hard and I wish I could slow it down, but it's here and we'll meet it head on.

I'm a mom and I'll always be her mom even if she's 1200 miles away. I miss her already and the house seems a little quieter without her. I'll try not to worry and think of this as preparation for when she heads to college in 5 years. I can't think of that now. I'll just take the next week one day at a time.

Our Trip to Sedona, AZ

About a month ago, Cam and I spent a very relaxing, romantic weekend in Sedona (an amazingly beautiful place). We stayed at a bed and breakfast, which I loved and had never done before and this labyrinth was right outside our room. It gets a little new "agey" in Sedona, so we immersed ourselves (that's me trying to enjoy the journey).

Us waiting for the people from the ranch to pick us up and take us on our horseback ride (very thoughtful on Cam's part since he's not CRAZY about horses like I am).



In another life, he was definitely a cowboy :) It was beautiful scenery. I think I talked to the guide (real cowboy) more than Cam. That's what happens when you get two horse people together.



The last day of our trip. We visited a cathedral built into the side of the rock and it was amazing. In typical Kris fashion, I just wanted to get home. Vacation was over, but Cam talked me into stopping at this church and I am so glad he did. BEAUTIFUL. We are standing right outside the doors, but couldn't get a good pic of the actual building because it was literally built into the side of the mountain.



This trip was my Mother's Day present and Cam certainly earned points for this one. The older we get and the longer we are married, the better it gets. After we got home, Cam was trying to tell our 13 year old about something that happened and started the conversation with "do you want to know something I did to mom while we were in Sedona?" Horrified she replies, "I don't want to know anything you two did in Sedona!" He was just going to tell her about a little practical joke. Jeez, Annie! I guess the idea of us "kissing" makes her want to barf. We're old, not dead (hahaha). I love teenagers!

Top Ten Tuesday

10 things that make me smile today:

1. Summer is almost here and my kids will be done with another busy, crazy school year.
2. Finding our little dog, Fiona on our very tall bed (I still don't know how she got there).
3. Spending time with rescued horses (feeding, mucking, and applying ointment).
4. Hearing the new ring tone I have for all my crazy girlfriends (of course, we rule the world).
5. Iced tea with lemon and splenda (almost as good as southern sweet tea).
6. Talking to my handsome husband on the phone (sometimes when I see him walk towards me like at one the kid's events and he's meeting me there, I get butterflies).
7. ALL the clean laundry in piles all over the house waiting to be folded (yes, this is on the right list).
8. Finding out who wins DWTS tonight.
9. The kids coming in after school and breaking the silence.
10. My SIL's latest text message and accompanying picture!

Camping with the Pico Family

The kids live on hot chocolate when we camp. Freckles joins us in the tent every night on our camping trips. You should see the tent when we go to bed. Cam, Charlie, and I on the blow up mattress (Freckles ends up there too). Annie and Belle in their bags on the ground. It takes hours to settle down. We talk and laugh until we fall asleep exhausted.

Breakfast anyone? I'm not saying anything about the hat. It speaks for itself!

The big question here is: why would Cam take a picture of my backside? Really? I mean it takes up the whole picture. We need to work on his photography skills.

These family memories are the ones that the kids will hopefully remember forever. Right after this picture was taken I'm sure someone poked someone with a hot clothes hanger we use for s'mores and then the fun ended.

Hubs loves to camp and the kiddos do, also. Love might be a strong word when it comes to camping and this mama. It's a lot of work to get there and get home, but everything in between is worth it. I love the campfires. I love the ability to do nothing while camping, but most of all I love how much fun we have as a family.

And don't forget: "Everything tastes better when you camp!"

They Call Me Mom

These 3 monkeys are why I get the honor of calling myself Mom. It's the best job I have ever had and frankly, the hardest. I told Cam recently that the kiddos are my best accomplishments in my life.

When I was little I used to play house and school. There was never a time in my life when I thought about not having kids. This is what I was created for: to love, to nurture, to teach, to play, and to be a part of something bigger than myself.

I became a mother the minute I found out I was prego with Annie (ready or not). I was young, a little stupid, and a lot idealistic. No bottles, no "pacies", no nipple confusion (give me a break), no sugar, etc. You get the picture. I remember telling my dad that I wasn't going to change my life and that she would fit into our life and schedule. I think he laughed out loud. I've never been more wrong about anything in my life. The night she was born I changed everything to fit into HER life, needs, wants, whims! I made a lot of mistakes with her as a first-time mom. I'm surprised she turned out, but we didn't kill her and it was an awesome journey, so we decided to do it, again.

One miscarriage and 6 months later, I was going to be a mom for the 2nd time. Truth be told, I was afraid. Afraid that I couldn't love another baby as much as I loved Annie. I was wrong, again! The day Belle was born was one of the BEST days of my life and once again another child would call me "mom". She got a "pacie" and a bottle and never experienced "nipple confusion". She nursed for 17 months :)

And then I found out I would be a mom to a son. A son who would take a piece of my heart the minute he was born. A 3rd person on the face of the earth would call ME "mom" although I never thought he would talk, so it took 2 yrs to hear that word leave his mouth.

I take my role as their mom very seriously. A role that I am honored and grateful to fulfill every day. A role that is frustrating and at times tedious. A role that challenges me as a person everyday. I will never win an academy award for this role. I will never get paid 6 figures for this job or any monetary compensation. I am taken for granted and unappreciated (at times). I am tired and never get a vacation because when I am on vacation, I still think of them, worry about them. There isn't a moment in time that I am not a mom and I wouldn't change it for the world. Not one single second.

I run a marathon everyday and it's call motherhood. I train hard and sometimes I finish first and other times I crawl across the finish line. But, at the end of the day, I get to tuck them in, kiss them good night, listen to them pray, cover them before I go to bed and start all over the next day. I send them to school with love notes and everyday I remind them to "be good"! I hug them after school and sit with them while they do homework. I pray for them every night before bed. I pray for their safety, health, soul, friends, and the people I want them to be. I pray for their physical aches and their heart aches. I pray for patience and forgiveness because I do it wrong everyday. I am inpatient and quick tempered. Some days I worry more about my dirty floors than taking the time to sit and listen.

I love it when I hear them call my name: mom, mama, mommy. But every once in awhile depending on the day, I ignore any derivative of mother and pretend I am on a beach with my toes buried and can only hear the waves. A girl can dream, can't she? It's time to thank my 3 kiddos for the journey of a lifetime!